Playground Advisory

3 All surfaces used in the playground accessible route shall also have a certificate of compliance for the ASTM F1951-99 Standard (ADAAG 1008). The supplier is required to provide a certificate of compliance to this Standard and the owner/ operator must ensure compliance to ASTM F1951 of the in- stalled surface throughout the entire life of the playground. “Ground surfaces shall comply with ASTM F1951. Ground surfaces shall be inspected and maintained regularly and fre- quently to ensure continued compliance with ASTM F1951.” It is commonly considered that the ASTM F1951 is performed in an indoor setting by an” accredited testing laboratory”, but this test has been performed in the field with the transfer of the ‘work measure wheelchair and data acquisition devices” to the playground and the tests performed by an” accredited testing laboratory”. Although there is a significant cost asso- ciated with the transport of the devices, an owner may be required to perform the test should a complaint be lodged against a specific site. Depending upon the contractual stipu- lations, specifications, hold harmless statements and warran- ties, this cost might be borne by the owner/operator or the supplier of the system. The properties of the accessible route would not just apply to the accessible route within the playspace, but also the accessi- ble routes transitioning into the playspace, such as walkways and other junctions. Other Standards for Protective Surface Compliance There are standards writing bodies, such as ASTM and CSA that have established technical committees to write standards re- lated to playgrounds and also for playground surfacing. Stand- ards content is developed by the responsible sub-committee and committees and following complicated procedures a standard is published. The standards writing process allows and requires that standards are revised or reaffirmed within 5 years of the publishing of the current standard. This is the way in which standards remain relevant and reflect changes within the product, service and use environment. ASTM F08.63 sub-committee has in addition to ASTM F1292 and ASTM F1951 developed standards for Engineered Wood Fibre, Poured-in-Place surfacing and a summary standard for the standards this group has published. There are work items moving toward becoming standards in areas such as firmness and stability of an accessible route, performance requirements for poured-in-place surfaces, loose rubber surfaces used in the playground and sand surfaces used in the playground. Some of these standards will take years to publish, while others will be published shortly. Some of these will be important in the pro- vision of certain surfaces and the development of best practic- es. The CSA Z614 technical committee has developed a compre- hensive Standard that incorporates structures, surfacing and accessibility. This will have a role in determining the accepta- bility of surfaces. Although the bulk of the responsibility for surfacing falls upon the owner/operator, there is guidance for surfacing such as “Owner/operators of playspaces shall ensure the suitability of any surfacing material used, taking into con- sideration such factors as the presence of contamination (e.g., pesticides, toxic materials, paint/coatings, heavy metals and sharps.).” This also has a significant impact on the surfacing supplier and the acceptance of certain materials in Canada. Protective Surfacing Design When the impact attenuation of a protective surface is de- signed for, there are two primary considerations; the ability of the product(s) to absorb impact and the work required to re- turn it to the original position ready for the next impact. Most surfaces consist of particles of rubber, stone, wood, or sand that are either loose or bound. The ability of the surface to absorb energy lies in the ability of the particles to move in rela-